2026 NFL Mock Draft: Minnesota Vikings select safety

Q: Why are the Minnesota Vikings selecting Dillon Thieneman in the 2026 NFL Draft?

The Vikings are likely selecting Dillon Thieneman due to the impending retirement of veteran safety Harrison Smith, creating a need for a new safety.

Q: Where is Dillon Thieneman projected to be drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft?

Dillon Thieneman is projected to be drafted around the 15th to 25th overall pick, making the Vikings' 18th pick a suitable selection.

Q: Who are the top safety prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft?

Dillon Thieneman is considered the best safety available, with Caleb Downs also being a notable prospect, though he is unlikely to be available at pick 18.

Q: What impact will Harrison Smith's potential retirement have on the Vikings' defense?

Harrison Smith's potential retirement would create a significant gap in the Vikings' defense, necessitating the selection of a strong safety like Dillon Thieneman.

EUGENE, OREGON - SEPTEMBER 6: Dillon Thieneman #31 of the Oregon Ducks looks on in action during a game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on September 6, 2025 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images) | ISI Photos via Getty Images

Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon

Right off the bat, I’m sorry. What a boring pick. Go find a mock draft site, look up their latest first round mock, and they have Thieneman going to the Vikings at 18. Other than Fernando Mendoza to the Raiders, this has to be the most common pick for mock drafters. The reasons why are pretty easy to identify:

Harrison Smith, drafted in the first round in 2012 by the Vikings and holding down the back end of their defense ever since, is likely retiring. Hence the need (If Smith decides to stick around another year, this whole analysis would change).
Other than Caleb Downs, who probably won’t make it to pick 18 (and did not in the BGN draft), Thieneman is the best safety on the board.
Most draft boards rank Thieneman between the 15th to 25th best player available, so pick 18 is right around where he could be drafted.

Maybe Downs slides and the Vikings can nab him, but Thieneman seems like a safe pick for them. He’s a smart ball-hawk with excellent college production in all three years. He’s on the smaller side for a safety but he’s quite agile, particularly running downhill (a 4.35 40 yard dash). I’d go on, but this pick’s analysis has frankly been done to death. What follows is a random aside about how snake-bitten a franchise the Vikings are, but feel free to skip to the end if you’re not interested.

A skippable random aside

Pity the Vikings fanbase. They root for a model franchise in the regular season and a perennial loser in the postseason. Seriously, the Vikings have the third-best regular season record (517-395-7, .566 W%) in the Super Bowl era behind only the Steelers and Cowboys and just ahead of the Dolphins and Patriots*. The next best regular season team without a Lombardi trophy are the sixteenth-ranked Chargers at 444-469-6, .486 W%. Their team lore, per Wikipedia, is just as sad:

Of the eleven lore pages there, three are positive for the Vikings, one where they’re a passenger in someone else’s story (the Santa Claus incident**), one is just weird (Ed Thorp Memorial Trophy), and seven are incidents Vikings fans probably want to forget. Even of those three positive events, only one came in the postseason, and the good feelings from that game (thankfully) only lasted a week.

*: Always nice to give the Patriots an asterisk. In the Super Bowl era, the Patriots’ regular season record is 507-411-1. Ties are rare in the NFL, but every other team in the NFL has tied at least twice in the last 60 seasons. The Patriots’ last tie? Week 3 in 1967, when they were still the Boston Patriots.

**: Until writing this article, I legitimately thought the Eagles were playing the Bills during the Santa Claus incident. Since the Bills were in the AFL in ’68, I guess this was impossible. The more you know!